War room underneath Colorado mountain is being consigned to history’s dustbin

CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN AIR FORCE STATION, Colo. - Dr. Strangelove would have a heart attack: America’s vaunted underground war room deep inside this granite mountain is being retired. Not only that, but Russian military men have been inside the place.

During the long nuclear standoff with Moscow, the nation’s super-secret nerve center was a symbol of both Cold War might and apocalyptic dread, depicted in such movies as “WarGames” in 1983.

But with the end of the Cold War, the war room is being put on “warm standy” to save money. A staff will keep it ready to resume operations at a moment’s notice if a blast-hardened command center becomes necessary, but the critical work is being shifted to Peterson Air Force Base, about 10 miles away.